Bright New Future
by kdzl
Summary: While somethings change, only one thing needs to stay the same. JJ/Hotch. Oneshot. Total AU.


_**An/ No, I don't own CRIMINAL MINDS. This is a bit in the future. **

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__"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending."-Carl Bard_

"JJ?" Hotch stammered as his arm brushed a petite blonde woman in the Shampoo aisle of the local Safeway.

The woman turned around and looked straight at the unit chief with wide eyes. "Hotch?"

He appraised her easily, looking at how the woman he used to know changed in the time they had been apart. "Its been a long time."

"Yeah. Its been a while." She said, though mentally she knew it had been far longer than a while. It had been four years, three months, and twelve days since she had last saw him; Since the day she had stormed out of the BAU, sure that she could never come back.

"So, what have you been up to? You're with Counterterrorism still, right?" He asked intrestedly. He had missed JJ far more than he could ever admit. Ever since she had stepped out of his office that April day, his life had never been the same. It wasn't until he lost her that he realized that he loved her. Now, he felt the familer sense of longing that he had been afflicted with everyday since she had walked out of his life.

"Yeah, I run their media program." JJ said, trying to not seem eager--though she was--to see the man she had missed. "Its not the BAU, but its a pretty good gig."

"Sounds like you like it." Hotch observed, the panging he felt hurting slightly less than it had in the past. At least he knew she was happy.

"I do. Its hard sometimes, but its a good place for me to be." JJ admitted. "How about you? What has the FBI wonderkin Aaron Hotchner been up to?"

"I'm basically in the same place I was when you left." Hotch shrugged, leaving out that he was about to get a promotion as soon as Strauss retired in a few months. "Nothing really has changed."

"How's Jack?" JJ asked with sudden interest, missing his son terribly. Jack had always been her little buddy, and she missed him more than she had ever anticipated. JJ was finding that while somethings had changed, one thing had stayed the same, she was still in love with him.

"He's good, he's in Elementary school. He's also in love with his teacher Ms. Dailey, but over all, he's doing good." Hotch chuckled slightly. "How's Henry?"

"He's doing fine. He's five now so, he is just loving kindergarten. No teacher crushes yet, but he is fairly possessive of the class hamster." JJ said slowly, contemplating whether she brought up the elephant in the room or not.

"How is Will?" Hotch grunted, reading her mind as he always had. He hated Will for making JJ leave the BAU, he absolutely hated him. Though, if he was being honest with himself, he would admit that he hated Will long before that. He hated Will the moment that he realized that JJ loved him.

"You know, I have no idea." JJ shrugged. "We broke up about two years ago, so, I guess he's good. He lives in Colorado now, Henry is going to live with him over the summer but...I haven't really talked to him lately."

_Roadblock gone._ Hotch thought to himself, though he felt mild disgust for his happiness. He shouldn't be reveling in the breakup of JJ's relationship, but it made him far happier than he wanted to confess. "I'm sorry to hear that." He lied blatantly.

"Me too." JJ said softly. "What about you? How's the illustrious love life?" She had to laugh to herself, while lots had changed, some things had stayed the same. Like how Hotch's boyish smile ran chills down her spine. Or how his laugh made her weak in the knees. She hadn't known then that she had been in love with him, but she knew it now and it was almost too much to bear.

"Uneventful." Hotch said, staring straight into JJ's blue eyes for the first time in years. Oh how he had missed her. This was almost too much for him to take.

"That's me too." She laughed, finding him unintentionally funny. She longed to say more but she really couldn't afford to. It was too late, it was over. Finished. Hotch wasn't her prince charming and she had to get out of the store now before she confused herself into thinking he was. "I should go." She said out of the blue, grabbing a shampoo from the shelf and stuffing it into her cart.

"JJ, you do realize that you just grabbed lice shampoo?" Hotch pointed out, not wanting to see her go.

"Oh." JJ said, easily remedying her mistake. "Whoops."

"It was good to see you." Hotch said anxiously, not wanting to lose her again.

"You too." She said, turning around to get away.

"Hey, JJ." Hotch said before JJ walked away.

"Yeah." She turned on the spot.

"Do you want to get coffee?"

She thought to herself for a moment, weighing her options. She knew what the smart thing was, but for some reason, she didn't want to be smart anymore. "I would love to." She said, picking up her basket. She didn't know how her hand found Hotch's or how easily their fingers entertwined, but for some reason, she felt like she was coming home. She knew she couldn't go back and change the past, but maybe, starting now, the future could be a little more bright. And for JJ and Hotch, it was.

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**_AN/ Yes, I do know its short. And no, there isn't more to it. This is all I had to write, I hope you liked it. It was merely an idea that kept puttering around in my mind and wouldn't leave until I penned it down. I hope you enjoy it. I've written so many stories where JJ walks out of Hotch's life and he works tirelessly to win her back, I just wanted to show that JJ leaving wouldn't always signal the end. So anywho, I hope you liked it. _**


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